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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 10/22/19
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Meg Rowley
2:00
Hello all, and welcome to the chat.
2:01
A few World Series bits and bobs for you in case you missed them.
2:02
and also entertained a pitching hypothetical that is Interesting: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/should-the-nationals-duck-gerrit-cole/
Devan wrote about Fernando Rodney's interesting postseason resume: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fernando-rodneys-next-incredible-feat/
2:03
Craig put tonight's Game 1 matchup in perspective: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-greatest-world-series-game-1-matchup-h...
Brendan ranked this century's World Series: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/ranking-the-world-series-of-the-21st-centu...
2:04
And we continue our crowdsourcing efforts. And yes, in response to folks' questions, the players will start to improve as the ballots go on. Ballot 3: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/contract-crowdsourcing-2019-20-ballot-3-of...
2:05
Also, tickets are still available for our Nov 21 New York event: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/announcing-fangraphs-live-new-york/
But they are going fast, so while it is a ways out, I'd encourage folks to grab 'em while they can. If you aren't able to join us, we'll be releasing the program as an EW pod.
2:06
And having stalled, here is Jay Jaffe on what could prove to be a critical advantage for the Astros: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/astros-advantage-against-breaking-balls-co...
2:07
Lastly, we will have chats for every World Series game. On deck tonight is Day, Jay, and RotoGraphs' Ben Kaspick!
Phew. Ok, lets get to your questions.
Jon G
2:08
How big of a bummer is it that the best baseball team we've seen in a long time is run by some of the most abrasive people in the game?
Meg Rowley
2:09
It's a not-small bummer. There are, because humans are prone to being jerks, jerks in every org, but the Astros' approach to this stuff, particularly when it comes to the press, particularly around issues like Osuna, stands out as particularly egregious.
2:10
I've never had the pleasure of working with Stephanie, but her reputation is sterling, her account has been backed up by multiple other reporters, and she and SI afforded the org a chance to comment before her story went live.
2:12
For the Astros to question her integrity, and then to (so far) fail to apologize after her account was corroborated, is despicable.
2:15
Women work in the Astros org. They are fans of the team. They cover the team. These women were just trying to do their jobs. And this is what they were met with -- some twerp of an AGM who, in a moment when he might have expressed excitement about reaching the World Series, or joy in Jose Altuve, or honestly, any one of a multitude of positive human emotions, decided to stick it to a couple of women, presumably because the broader baseball discourse has had the audacity to keep talking about this trade. It's exhausting and phenomenally disappointing.
Jeremy
2:15
Mallex Smith winning the SB crown with 0 fWAR got me curious. Can you think of any league leader in a major statistical category who had a worse fWAR? Seems like an interesting article. Obviously "major" is up for interpretation.
Meg Rowley
2:16
Oh this is a good one. SB would be the one that comes immediately to mind as the most likely, though perhaps there is an NL player whose offensive accomplishments are undone by truly terrible fielding? Good question.
CamdenWarehouse
2:17
Why do baseball teams insist on trying to alienate fans? I just don't understand
Brian
2:17
The Astros are fun but I want to throw them into a river!
Bring Back Jeff
2:17
Sooooooo, go Nats I guess? Right? Assistant GM Dipshit McLoudMouth pretty much locked that up?
Meg Rowley
2:19
The last 24 hours is going to understandably sway the rooting interests of a lot of neutral observers, and that is totally fine. I do think it is probably good to remember that all teams are bad in some way, if not this exact way, and while it is very strongly ok for incidents like this to sway how you root (and while fans should grapple with their own favorite team's yuckiness), wielding incidents like this against Astros fans as a way to make them feel bad strikes me as its own kind of yuckiness.
So many yucky things!
NotGraphs Revivalist
2:19
I tried to fabricate a better matchup than Scherzer-Cole. I failed. This is gonna be awesome
Meg Rowley
2:20
The starting pitching this series is stinking amazing.
hooha
2:20
What does the offseason plan look like at Fangraphs?
Meg Rowley
2:21
We're gearing up for our Top 50 free agent post, once again helmed by Kiley McDaniel, with player commentary from many of your FanGraphs favorites. That'll launch post World Series. Also, blink and we'll be in prospect list season.
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe
2:21
On the note of the 2001 World Series, here is your reminder that Byung-Hyun Kim owns a sushi restaurant in San Diego! https://www.yelp.com/biz/umi-sushi-san-diego
Meg Rowley
2:21
Well this is delightful.
Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes
2:21
Was it too much to ask for just a "The Houston Astros are alarmed at recent allegations directed towards an employee and are investigating the situation internally."?
Meg Rowley
2:21
Apparently!
hooha
2:21
Are you expecting another slow offseason this year?
Meg Rowley
2:23
I think it'll look a lot like last year, where everything is slow, the top of the market is still lucrative, and the rest of the class gets less than they would have in prior years. I'm really interested to see how quickly Cole's market materializes and resolves.
2:24
I have heard of several teams that are highly motivated to sign him (which, duh) but he is also rep'ed by Boras.
Hire Joe Morgan?
2:24
Meg!  Are you chatting this evening as well?  That would be a lot of chatting.
Meg Rowley
2:24
I shall chat, along with Eric Longenhagen, on Saturday.
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe
2:24
Regarding Brendan Gawlowski's ranking of the World Series, 2000-present, where would you diverge? Do you agree with the premise that post-9/11 Yankees-Diamondbacks was a better series than the curse-breaking Cubs-Indians series?
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